The invention relates to seals for use with rotational equipment, such as pumps, mixers and the like.
In most commonly available rotating equipment a seal is used for positioning between a stationary and a rotary portion, so as to prevent leakage of the fluids being pump, mixed, etc.
The seals are exposed to a considerable degree of friction, which leads to wearing of the seals to a condition where it has to be replaced. To achieve this purpose, the equipment has to be disconnected from the driving motors and skilled mechanics are called to replace the damaged or worn out seal. Such interruption of process leads to the loss of valuable time and labor. To eliminate such problems, a split seal was suggested to be used for use between a rotary and the stationary parts, the former being assembled around the rotating shaft and locked into position. An example of the use of such split seal is found in a seal manufactured by A. W. Chesterton Company of Stoneham, Mass. and available under the brand name of Chesterton 221 Split Seal.
However, the seal of A. W. Chesterton Company has a plurality of parts, each of which is subject to excessive wear and therefore damage, requiring often change of the split seal and therefore loss of valuable production time. Besides, the area of connection of two semi-circular parts is not entirely leak proof, since the connecting surfaces are flat and machine-polished before fitted and matched together.
The present invention contemplates elimination of the disadvantages associated with the known art and provision of a split seal which is simple and easy to manufacture and has a minimum parts which could be subject to breakage or damage.